Man "stabbed in row over chips"

May 12 2008 Media Wales

A drunk man stabbed his 29-year-old son to death after a row over chips, a court heard today.

Martin Thomson, 51, returned to the Merthyr Tydfil home he shared with son Craig and three lodgers in the early hours of November 30 last year, Cardiff Crown Court was told.

Ian Murphy QC, prosecuting, said realising his father was drunk, Mr Thomson went upstairs with his friends who were staying at the house on the Gurnos Estate.

One of them, Hannah Thomas, heard Thomson shouting: “Who’s pinched my chips?”

His son went downstairs, saying he would get some chips, but Ms Thomas then heard the younger man say: “I’m not your skivvy”, before there was a slapping sound, Mr Murphy said.

Ms Thomas and her two friends went to investigate, and saw Mr Thomson walking up the stairs.

When he was part way up, his father was seen coming out of the kitchen with a four-inch knife, saying: “Craig, I’ll stab you”, the jury of five women and seven men were told.

His son replied: “Go on, dad”, and tried to kick the knife out of Thomson’s hand as he swung the blade around, the court heard. He missed and was stabbed in the leg, causing him to sit down, Mr Murphy said.

The court heard Mr Thomson was then stabbed to the chest, stomach and leg. As one of the lodgers, Adam Evans, went after Thomson and kicked him in a bid to retrieve the knife, Ms Thomas saw Craig get up, Mr Murphy said.

Mr Murphy said: “Craig managed to stand up and walk down the stairs.

“He shouted: ’Dad, stop it’, then he lifted his shirt up.

“She could see blood was gushing out of his chest.”

He collapsed at the foot of the stairs, at which point his father went towards him.

Mr Murphy told the court Thomson said: “Come on Craig, it will be all right. You’ll be all right.”

Another lodger, Mr Thomson’s former girlfriend Sarah Evans, said the older man held his son, saying: “I’ve killed my son.”

An ambulance was called but Mr Thomson was pronounced dead at the scene.

When police arrived, Thomson said: “It’s my doing, it’s my fault”, but on the way to the police station asked officers: “He was doing my head in. I just went mad. Is he all right? Will you find out if my son’s all right?”.

The court heard Thomson told police he “just lost it” because his son was telling him to go to bed, and that he had been upset about music coming from the lodgers’ rooms.

He told officers: “I just didn’t understand what I had in my hand at the time, because I had been peeling potatoes, and I don’t think I realised I had a knife in my hand.”

Thomson claimed he pushed his son three times, not realising the knife was in his hand, the court heard. Pictures shown to the jury showed chips in a pan, and a bag containing oven chips, but no potato peelings, Mr Murphy said.

The jury heard Thomson and his son became heavy drinkers after the death of his wife Stephanie from septicaemia in 1996. Mr Thomson was approximately four times the drink drive limit at the time of the alleged attack, while his son was five times over the legal limit.

Mr Murphy described the incident as a “violent and unlawful attack carried out with deadly force and intent”.

Thomson, of Lavender Road, Merthyr Tydfil, denies murder.

The trial continues